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Posts Tagged ‘Rope swing’

I’m living up to my promise of adding new destinations to Friendly Planet Travel’s tour offerings in 2010. I’m excited to take travelers to a country that is ranked as one of the happiest places on Earth. No, not Disneyland. I’m talking about Costa Rica!

Friendly Planet Travel’s new seven-day Captivating Costa Rica tour and nine-day Costa Rica Pura Vida tour shows travelers why this country is known as a tropical paradise. Its biodiversity, ranging from jungles, cloud forests, and active volcanoes, to exotic wildlife, rivers, and Caribbean and Pacific coasts, is what lures millions of travelers every year.

Judy Poliva, Product Development Manager for Friendly Planet Travel, went to Costa Rica a few weeks ago with her camcorder in hand. She captured what it was like to a ride a zip line over the rainforest’s canopy and do a Tarzan-swing. She kindly agreed to share her videos, and you’ll get to watch them a little further down.

Both tours begin in San José, the capital and largest city in Costa Rica, which is nestled in a green valley, surrounded by mountains. If you choose the Captivating Costa Rica tour, you will travel to the Arenal region next. It is home to the one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

Watch the smoke rise from the cone and lava flow down the hills. If seeing an active volcano isn’t adventurous enough for you, try a Tarzan swing over the canopy. Hit play on Judy’s video below to see what it’s like.

If you opt for the Costa Rica Pura Vida tour, you spend two extra days exploring the Caribbean coastal area and Tortuguero before you head to Arenal. Small boats take you for a tour through the canals of the Tortuguero National Park where you can see rainforest vegetation and wildlife, including Capuchin, Howler and Spider monkeys, crocodiles, and more. You might also see some green turtles, one of several varieties of endangered turtles that lay their eggs on Tortuguero’s shores.

Both tours then continue on to Monteverde. Settle into your air-conditioned mini-van that transports you to the Monteverde Reserve where over 300 species of birds and mammals and many varieties of orchids can be found. Get a better view of its Cloud Forest Reserve on the suspension bridges that span from one mountaintop to another.

Or opt for a canopy tour that includes zip lines. (This is also available in the Arenal region.) Judy handed her camcorder over to the zip line instructor to give you a birds-eye view of the canopy. You see Judy as the instructor comes in for his landing.

Lastly, you’ll drive back to San José to see two of its famous landmarks, the National Theater and Edificio Correos buildings. If you’re not ready to leave Costa Rica, take advantage of the already included airfare and continue on a three-night extension in Manuel Antonio.

Included in the prices are round-trip flights from Miami; all transfers via air-conditioned, chauffeur-driven minivans; superior hotel accommodations; daily breakfast; all meals in Tortuguero; comprehensive sightseeing with a naturalist, bilingual guide in Tortuguero; entrance fee to Tortuguero National Park; and more.

With these debut tours priced so low, I wouldn’t wait to book your trip to Costa Rica. So if you have any questions, visit our website for more details and the full itinerary for both tours. And as always, feel free to write to me or call 1-800-555-5765 and speak to our reservations team.